this morning the powerful storm that caused all kinds of trouble into the midwest has moved to the northeast. the area is getting hit with high winds and snow and sleet. pennsylvania to new england could get up to a foot and a half of snow. jeff berardelli has the details. our big east coast storm will continue throughout the day today but gradually winding down as we go into the afternoon and evening. things have been improving from south to north throughout the day, but the coastal areas are still receiving very heavy rain but the emphasis for snow will be further inland especially upstate new york and northern interior new england and eventually maine is going to be getting in on the act as well. that's where the winter storm warnings are in effect. and a notice they are not in effect along the i-95 corridor. again, that's where we're expecting it to mostly be in the form of rain like it has been throughout most of the day. additional snow as we go through the next 24 hours.

you could see 12 inches or more where some of those areas are in purple, but, again, along the coast, we're talking 1 inch or less and this time around, again, it looks like it's mainly going to be just rain. i'm david bernard for cbs news, miami. at least six deaths are blamed on the storm system in the southeast. the trouble with tornados in hard-hit arkansas, nearly 200,000 people lost power, and the governor declared a statewide emergency. danielle nottingham reports. >> reporter: snow blanketed parts of the midwest and northeast. falling and blowing so hard it was difficult for road crews to keep up. as much as 2 feet of snow could fall in some areas. driving was treacherous. this car overturned in frederick, maryland. some trying to get home after christmas encountered dangerous near whiteout conditions. >> all of a sudden, we hit indiana, and we ran into this crazy snowstorm.

>> reporter: well over a thousand flights have been canceled across the country and many others delayed including here at raggal international airport. >> i thought we were going to die. >> reporter:residents of mobile, alabama, heard what they thought sound like a freight train and a storm system touched down. >> we hopped into the center of our house, threw our bike helmets on and held on. it took about 15 seconds. it sounded like a jet engine. >> reporter: the twister collapsed roofs of homes, tore apart buildings like this day care center, and shattered car windows. the cleanup will be extensive. 130 homes or businesses were damaged or destroyed. danielle nottingham, cbs news, arlington, virginia. and this morning former president george h.w. bush is being treated for persistent fever in the intensive care unit of a houston hospital. mr. bush was admitted to the icu sunday following a series of

setbacks and is now on a liquids-only diet. he remains in guarded condition but doctors are cautiously optimistic about his treatment. president bush has been in the hospital since november 23rd for treatment of a lingering cough. mr. bush, the 41st president, is 84 years old. former south african president nelson mandela is home after being released from the hospital. doctors say he's not fully recovered from a lung infection but he's well enough to go home. mr. nelson is 84 years old. and now to the efforts to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. president obama returns to washington later today and the senate is due in session, but just about everyone agrees with just five days left, the possibility for a grand bargain to avoid across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts is all but lost, and even prospects for watered down deals seems slim. tara mergener is in washington with more. tara, good morning. >> good morning, duarte. yes.

hopes for legislation to avoid the fiscal cliff now turns to the senate, but white house and republicans remain far apart. senators and staffers will be filling these empty hallways today trying to work out a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. higher taxes will give the average american about $1,500 less to spend next year, and economists believe the $110 billion spending cuts will result in more layoffs. senator harry reid has a plan to keep taxes low for everyone making less than $250,000 a year as well as short-term spending cuts until a bigger deal can be reached. >> it is going to be a patch because in four days we can't solve everything. >> while senators try to brave the bad weather in many parts of the country in order to make it back here to washington, house leaders say they will not leave home unless the senate passes its bill first. house republicans scuttled a proposal from speaker john

boehner last week, and 48% of americans say they are to blame if no deal is reached. >> both sides here have a problem with the american people, and it's why congress has an 11% job approval rating. >> frank lund says americans are fed up with gridlock in washington. >> there is no compromise, and i think that's going to grow as a concern among the public as we move into 2013. >> even starbucks is urging both sides to compromise. its employees are now writing "come together" on coffee cups in all washington, d.c., area stores. now, if congress does not act, experts believe the economy will fall back into a mild recession, duarte, by mid-2013. >> it's a tough situation. tara mergener in washington. thanks. >> coming up on the "morning news," shark tank soaker caught on tape. the glass of an aquarium suddenly bursts, drenching

spectators and sending fish flying. this is the "cbs morning news." one day george got an important letter. he's built a rocket ship to travel into space." google, how far is earth to the moon? the moon is 238,900 miles... "the great moment had come." 3, 2, 1... [ giggling ] and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections,

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this is how to gift yourself. this is sears. new new pictures from shanghai, china, show a shark-filled aquarium rupturing at a shopping mall last week. shards of glass, thousands of gallons of water and sharks poured onto the swauk. more than a dozen people were hurt, many suffering from cuts and bruises. the glass apparently shattered becoming brittle from age and temperature. marine biologists are working to keep a six-finned whale alive at breezy point. that's a neighborhood hit hard by hurricane sandy. the 60-foot-long whale is believed to be female and was founded on wednesday. firefighters are spraying her with saltwater. marine biologists are not optimistic about the whale's chances of survival. families are being allowed back into their homes in the neighborhood just outside of rochester, new york.

they were forced out on christmas eve after a shooting incident that left two firefighters dead. we have new details about the gunman. >> reporter: the foundation is awe that remains of this home in webster, new york, one of seven burned on christmas eve. speng ler shot at firefighters when they arrived. off-duty policeman john ritter got there seconds after the firefighters. >> there was a lot of explosion and i looked at my windshield and there was ball it hole in front of me. he barked his car up to try to protect firefighters but spengler was able to shoot four firefighters, killing two of them. >> i'm full of many mixed emotions of, a, being here and them not being here. >> reporter: when police arrived, spengler took his life but left a note saying he planned on taking down the entire neighborhood saying, quote, doing what i liked to do best, killing people.

he was arrested for killing his grandmother with a hammer in 1980. after spending 17 years in prison, he returned here. investigators found a body inside and think it's his sister's remains. >> i can't believe it's gone. >> reporter: lynn sheehan's home was also destroyed in the fire. she said he was quiet but could be friendly. everyone knew he was a convicted killer. >> the minute it happened, i knew it was spengler. >> reporter: the town of webster continues to mourn the two firefighters killed. 20-year veteran mike chiapperini trained tomasz kaczowka. funerals will be held for both men in the coming days. tatiana anderson, cbs news, webster, new york. straight ahead your thursday morning weather and shopping slump. holiday sales fall flat as retailers scramble to save the season. om nespresso. modular. intuitive. combines espresso and fresh milk. the new u. nespresso. what else?

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duracell. one reason: duralock power preserve. it locks in power for up to 10 years in storage. guaranteed. so, whether it's 10 years' of life's sunny days... or... the occasional stormy one... trust goes a long way. duracell with duralock. trusted everywhere. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, occasional showers, 43. miami, mostly sunny, 74. chicago, mostly sunny, 35. dallas, partly sunny, 50. los angeles, partly sunny, 60. time now for a check of the national forecast. a big winter storm will bring heavy snow and high winds from western new york to maine. heavy rain will soak coastal areas from delaware to southern new england. most of the south will be dry, but temperatures will plunge into the 20s and 30s in some places. the midwest will be mainly dry. heavy rain is forecast for the pacific northwest.

more than a half foot of snow is expected across the northern and central rockies. on the "cbs moneywatch," no joy for holiday sales, and where you'll find the country's most expensive metered parking. erica ferrari is here in new york with that and more. good morning, erica. >> good morning. the nation's retailers are hoping heavily discounted post-christmas sales will salvage the lackluster holiday season. consumer spending rose just 0.7% in the two months before christmas, and that bethe weakest since the 2008 financial crisis. the blow-expectations holiday sales suggest consumers remain uneasy about the economy. asian stocks are mostly higher after china's industrial companies showed profit. tokyo's nikkei gained 1% to finish at a 21-month high. hong kong's hang seng rose half a percent. wall street's stocks fell for a third consecutive day due to investor concerns about the fiscal cliff talks.

the dow lost 24 points on thursday. the nasdaq was down 22 points. trading was light. a california judge could approve a plan to pay more than $1 billion to settle a case involving unintended acceleration problems with toyotas. the proposet settlement will resolve a class-action lawsuit for hundreds of toyota customers. numerous crashes and injuries and even deaths were blamed on the sudden acceleration. their production plunged as a result but has since rebounded. and new evidence suggested the ailing housing market is getting better. a national price index says u.s. home prices rose 4.3% compared with a year ago. october was the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year gains aft almost two years of decline. it will soon cost a lot more to park in downtown chicago. starting on new year's day,

parker meters there will cost $6.50 an hour, up from 5.75 dlrts. that would make chicago the nation's most expensive city for metered parking. the city leased the meters to a private company for 75 years at a cost of more than $1 billion, and, duarte, much of that money has already been spent. >> that does it. when i'm in chicago, i take the train. erica ferrari in new york. thanks, erica. in sports a pounding finish between the knicks and the suns. ten seconds left, no,'s j.r. smith hits the fade-away jumper to tie the game at 77-77. he steps out of bounds with just a second on the clock giving the nix one last chance and once again it's j.r. smith hitting another long jumper, this time at the buzzer. it gives new york a 99-97 win. in denver, kobe bryant scores 40 points for the lakers,

but the nuggets are able to overcome the performance. they snap a five-game winning streak, beating the lakers, 126-114. finally, get your hands up for a hockey fight. an unusual soundtrack for an all-out hockey fight. yeah, that's right. someone started playing "party in the usa" by miley cyrus during this hockey game. these teams play again in two weeks. maybe someone will play a demi lovato song if they drop the gloves again. when we return, drawing fire. a newspaper addresses names and addresses of people holding handgun permits. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush.

you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job. source of a gas leak is undy in brentwood this morning.. a gruesome discovery shocks neighbors and baffles polic vallejo.. now two people are under arrest accused of hida dead body for years! a powerful winter storms continues to snarl holiday travelers headed home.. and.. the nation's leaders

return to washington to try find a deal to avoid the fi cliff. join us for cbs 5 eyewitness news this morning... beginng at 4:30. ,,,, here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washinmo here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, morning showers, 44. atlanta, mostly sunny, 48. st. louis, mostly cloudy, 33. denver, light snow, 33, seattle, occasional sun, 43.

a newspaper in a new york city suburb is standing by its story. it published the names and addresses of people holding handgun permits, touching off a barrage of criticism. "the journal news" defended the story headline, "the gun owner next door." it says it was necessary to share information about gun permits in the wake of the connecticut school shootings. that story was published on sunday. it was accompanied by online maps showing where permit holders live. the connecticut shooting sparked a different response in l.a. there the city started its gun buyback program much earlier than usual. john blackstone reports. >> they're hunting rivals. >> reporter: angela atkins came to the los angeles gun buyback two hunting rifles and thoughts of the children who died in newtown, connecticut. >> it was emotional, i cried, and i just felt like those were everybody's children.

>> reporter: so you're getting rid of your only guns. >> getting rid of my only guns, yeah. i couldn't send them a sympathy card or anything, so i thought that's the best thing i can do. >> reporter: it was because of newtown that mayor villaraigosa moved up the annual gun buyback usually held on mother's day. the city offers gift certificates up to $200 depending on the kind of gun. the nra might say you're taking guns out of the good guys. >> well, the nra says a lot of things that doesn't pass the smell test for most of us. they said what we need are more good guys with guns. well, there are a lot of good guys with guns. we have a lot of good guys with guns, more than anyplace in the world, and we also have a lot of gun violence. >> reporter: a report found that guns likely to be used in crimes were unlikely to be turned in at gun buybacks. villaraigosa says since 2009 los angeles has collected 8,000 guns at buybacks, a period in which

violent crime in the city has dropped by 33%. >> this is part of a much bigger effort, a comprehensive effort to address gun and gang violence. and like i said, in the city of l.a., the proof is in the pudding. >> reporter: the line of cars stretched for six blocks as people waited up to three hours to turn in their guns. >> me turning my rifles in now is my sympathy card to connecticut. >> reporter: so many people are turning in their guns here that lapd officials believe there will be their most successful gun buyback program ever, collecting over 2,500 guns. john blackstone, cbs news, los angeles. north of los angeles, partial traffic is expected to reopen this morning after a rock slide. the slide shut down part of highway 1, turning the throughway into a parking lot. crews have been clearing debris. major rock slides happen almost every year, and residents say it's a trade-off for living there.

coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the biggest sports stories of 2012. i'm duarte geraldino. this is the "cbs morning news." geraldino. this is the "cbs morning news." up to 40% off all nordictrack treadmills and ellipticals, and up to 50% off all mechanics tool sets and wrenches this is how to gift yourself. this is sears. the latest coffee machine from nespresso. modular. intuitive. combines espresso and fresh milk.

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a follow-up now on a hurricane sandy survivor who lost her home and everything she had to the storm. michelle miller caught up with the woman whose plight touched a nerve with people who heard her story. >> reporter: when we first met marie lopresti eight weeks ago, she was desperately searching for anything left by a fire that burned her home to the ground. rubble was a charred fragment of a wine and cheese plate but she was happy to have it. >> thank you. thank you. i've got to go now. >> reporter: we wanted to know what happened to lopresti. hi, marie. we found her in brooklyn at a

family home she used to rent out. it's a house now filled with gifts from family, friends, even strangers. >> these are older people who sent me letters and money. they sent me $598. >> reporter: oh, wow. lopresti has been overwhelmed by the generosity of people across the country who saw her story and reached out. >> they all send me e-mails and funny things for me to laugh. and they all ask about me. they call. that's my house in breezy. >> reporter: some have even sent photos of her old home and copies of pictures they have of her family and friends. remember this? >> oh, yes. >> reporter: but she was most surprised by a gift from a woman in massachusetts. look. where did she get that from? it was a replica of the plate she found the day we met her.

>> she sent me a letter and the plate and $60. she said she's 72 like me and she saw me on tv and it broke her how and she went and bought that and now -- and she bought that so i can enjoy it with my friends. >> reporter: every day lopresti returns to breezy point, the place she and her friends call home for more than 30 years. >> i want to be there so even if i can build a small house. i mean this is nice, and i love this, but i'd just rather have the bed and the tables and the chairs and a couch and be there. >> reporter: lopresti says like the new plate in her cabinet, breezy point will one day be whole again. michelle miller, cbs news, brooklyn, new york. and coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the latest on the winter storm hitting the northeast. we'll get the forecast plus an

update on former president george h.w. bush. we'll have a live report from the hospital. and jeff glor sits down with the winner of nfl player pat tillman killed eight years ago. that's your "cbs morning news." i'm duarte geraldino. thanks for watching. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

and i'm michelle griego. tis 4:-- >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. hi,everyone. good morning. it is thursday, december 27. i'm frank mallicoat. and who are you?

>> it's been a while! i'm michelle griego. time now is 4:30. elizabeth is doing double duty again. >> here's a look at the temperatures out the door. we have cloud cover so temperatures are slightly milder, definitely chilly but not as cold as we first anticipated. 41 in concord, 45 oakland. santa rosa 44. we have rain in the seven-day forecast coming up. in the meantime, on the roads, live look at the traffic sensors in los gatos, northbound 17 at santa cruz avenue we have an accident there blocking one lane. much more traffic and weather coming up. it is 4:30 now. we have some developing news this morning. several brentwood homes remain evacuated as pg&e crews are searching for a source of a gas leak in the town. pg&e crews were called to albrook drive around 6:00 when residents reported heavy gas smells. crews detected elevated levels